BD to face India in Women’s Asia Cup semi-finals
Bangladesh women cricket team will once again face India in the semi-finals of the Women’s Asia Cup. Today Nigar Sultana Joty’s team will face the side in excellent form.
India has reached the semi-finals in commanding form. Reaching the semi-finals with a struggling batting lineup poses a major challenge for Bangladesh. But Captain Nigar Sultana Joty doesn’t want to think about the outcome just yet.
“India is a very strong team. We will try to play our best game against them. There will certainly be a result, but we have to give it our all”, Joty said after the match against the UAE on Tuesday.
Confidence was evident in Sharmin Akter Supta’s voice. She doesn’t view the semi-final against India as a source of pressure.
“It could become a source of pressure if you dwell on negative thoughts. However, playing against a formidable team like India is a source of joy for us. If you want to be champions, you have to play against such strong teams. We enjoy playing against them rather than feeling pressured.”
Bangladesh put up a poor batting display against the UAE as well. Sharmin said, “Such things can happen from time to time. I felt that in a situation like that, it was necessary to hold one end and build a partnership with the tail-enders. It is difficult to move forward if you lose 5-6 wickets early on. Nahida batted brilliantly; she gave me confidence.”
After starting the Asia Cup with a victory over Indonesia, the ‘Tigresses’ suffered a defeat against Sri Lanka. Consequently, the match against the UAE became a do-or-die encounter.
A loss meant elimination, while a win would secure a spot in the semi-finals. Batting first in this crucial game, Joty’s team managed to scrape together 103 runs in their allotted 20 overs.
The bowlers then made the contest competitive; led by Rabeya Khan’s three-wicket haul and two wickets each from Marufa Akter and Nahida Akter, the UAE side was restricted to 69 runs for the loss of nine wickets.
While the Nigar Sultana-led side will play against India, the defending champions Sri Lanka will play Pakistan for a place in the summit clash.
